I watched it all in two days. Just so caught up in it all. Some observations:
Iffy stuff (but not at all "bitching" in a sense, just things that made me raise an eyebrow):
The ending was off and perhaps a bit too easy on some levels? That said, how things "came together" between the different plots and character groups was great fun to watch.
Hopper's gall and need to figure out the Truth never quite manifested. I enjoyed seeing him be proactive, but felt like some of that wasn't earned. Did it have to do with his own daughter? Maybe.
I do remember the comments about Hopper, but felt like I wanted to know more about what he did in the "big city" and what made him think he could just break into this place and that place without worry. There was a recklessness there that I wanted explained a bit more. Especially given that he comes across as this pretty "chill" guy who doesn't like to be pushed into acting.
The good/great/amazing:
Finally, a show where the writers don't rely on the "overly angsty teenager who hates everyone and makes incredibly stupid decisions." (Looking at you Dana from Homeland and that chick from Revolution.) The teenagers rocked in this. Thank you, writers, for letting teens break out of the, "I'm too mad at my mom to see the world is coming to an end so I need to go pout while people are dying" behavior. Nancy and Jonathan were superb. Even Steve did okay and didn't turn into the jerk-face John Hughes mean kid in the end.
The three boys/besties played D&D. That just rocked. And they used some of that knowledge in the real world too. Their science teacher also rocked.
Winona Ryder has redeemed every stupid parent in every horror/supernatural movie who was too dense to believe. Thank you, Winona.
Slow burn. Some people have no attention span. They don't like slow burns. This one needed a slow burn--at least in the beginning. Meaningful moments were made more meaningful because of it.
The actress who played 11 was phenomenal.
I read there is a greenlight for season 2.
Iffy stuff (but not at all "bitching" in a sense, just things that made me raise an eyebrow):
The ending was off and perhaps a bit too easy on some levels? That said, how things "came together" between the different plots and character groups was great fun to watch.
Hopper's gall and need to figure out the Truth never quite manifested. I enjoyed seeing him be proactive, but felt like some of that wasn't earned. Did it have to do with his own daughter? Maybe.
I do remember the comments about Hopper, but felt like I wanted to know more about what he did in the "big city" and what made him think he could just break into this place and that place without worry. There was a recklessness there that I wanted explained a bit more. Especially given that he comes across as this pretty "chill" guy who doesn't like to be pushed into acting.
The good/great/amazing:
Finally, a show where the writers don't rely on the "overly angsty teenager who hates everyone and makes incredibly stupid decisions." (Looking at you Dana from Homeland and that chick from Revolution.) The teenagers rocked in this. Thank you, writers, for letting teens break out of the, "I'm too mad at my mom to see the world is coming to an end so I need to go pout while people are dying" behavior. Nancy and Jonathan were superb. Even Steve did okay and didn't turn into the jerk-face John Hughes mean kid in the end.
The three boys/besties played D&D. That just rocked. And they used some of that knowledge in the real world too. Their science teacher also rocked.
Winona Ryder has redeemed every stupid parent in every horror/supernatural movie who was too dense to believe. Thank you, Winona.
Slow burn. Some people have no attention span. They don't like slow burns. This one needed a slow burn--at least in the beginning. Meaningful moments were made more meaningful because of it.
The actress who played 11 was phenomenal.
I read there is a greenlight for season 2.